Earth Changes

It all started with an intense storm, but that was just the beginning. Then hail came. The city of the valleys,It all started with an intense storm, but that was just the beginning. Then hail came. The city of the valleys, Huasteca de San Luis de Potosí, Mexico, is used to such storms, but yesterday afternoon nobody expected it.

Suddenly, hail started, but what fell were giant ice balls, some the size of a melon.

Playa del Carmen is a coastal resort town in Mexico, along the Yucatán Peninsula's Riviera Maya strip of Caribbean shoreline. In the state of Quintana Roo, it's known for its palm-lined beaches and coral reefs. Its Quinta Avenida pedestrian thoroughfare runs parallel to the beach, with blocks of shops, restaurants and nightspots ranging from laid-back bars to dance clubs.

Tafraoui in Oran Province recorded 32mm of rain in 24 hours to 17 May, while in the city of Relizane (also known as Ghilizan) in Relizane Province recorded 65mm during the same period.

According to Algeria's Civil Protection, flooding caused widespread damage to houses and roads in Oran Province. Civil Protection were called on to rescue people from flooded dwellings. One person died and another was injured when part of a house collapsed in the commune of Mers El Kébir, near the city of Oran.

Civil Protection also reported flooding in neighbouring Mostaganem Province where around 40 homes were damaged.

"Flakes are flying," said Tuma. "While it's weird that we are talking about snow this late in May, it's not unusual to get these light storms moving through the Sierra as we end our snow season."

There's a Winter Storm Warning in effect until midnight Monday with snow levels dropping to about 6,000 feet.

"We are talking about 3 to 6 inches of snow. Some areas in our highest peaks could see up to a foot of snow," said Tuma. "We are still talking about snow falling in the Sierra, that's good news. We still want to add to our snow pack, which is below normal for this time of the year."

After a spectacular bout of rapid intensification on Sunday, Tropical Cyclone Amphan poses a grave storm-surge threat to the highly vulnerable coastline of the upper Bay of Bengal. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded Amphan to the equivalent of Category 5 strength at 2 am EDT Monday, with top 1-minute sustained winds estimated at 140 knots (160 mph).

On the scale used by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Amphan was upgraded at 3 am EDT Monday to the highest possible level: super cyclonic storm. Only a handful of storms — about one per decade — achieve this level, which corresponds to a three-minute-averaged wind speed of 120 knots (140 mph). Hurricane ratings by the National Hurricane Center and JTWC are based on one-minute averaging, which will yield higher wind speeds for a given storm.

Amphan took advantage of very favorable conditions in the southern Bay of Bengal to strengthen incredibly quickly over the weekend. Drawing on very warm sea surface temperatures of 31°C (88°F), high oceanic heat content, and light wind shear, Amphan bolted from minimal tropical storm strength (35 knots or 40 mph) to Category 5 equivalent strength (140 knots or 160 mph) in just 48 hours — and from minimal hurricane strength (65 knots or 75 mph) to Cat 5 equivalent strength in just 24 hours.

More than 1.1 million people in eastern India and Bangladesh are being hurriedly evacuated as the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm 'Amphan' threatens to make landfall within days.

The Indian state of Odisha alone is planning to evacuate 1.1 million people from low-lying areas which are expected to be flattened, having already been ravaged by multiple cyclones in the last few years, including Cyclone Fani in 2019.

Authorities are predicting widespread destruction, including the loss of key power and communications infrastructure, as well as disruption to rail and road links, and extensive damage to crops and plantations. Port authorities have shut down operations, and fishermen have been advised to suspend their work in Bengal and Odisha until May 20.

"A total of 37 teams have been deployed by NDRF in West Bengal and Odisha, out of which 20 teams are actively deployed and 17 are on standby in the two states," said NDRF Director General S N Pradhan.

At least 2 people have died in severe weather in Sri Lanka over the last few days

According to the country's Disaster Management Center (DMC), one person died and one is still missing after flooding in Galigamuwa in Kegalle District on 15 May. On the same day heavy rain caused an earth embankment to collapse in Kegalle Division, burying a home. DMC said one person died in the incident.

A total of 1,868 people have been affected by heavy rain and floods in Kegalle District since 14 May. Nine houses have been destroyed and 391 damaged.

Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology said Galigamuwa recorded 214 mm of rain in 24 hours to 16 May. Sirikandura near Baddegama in Galle District recorded 182.5mm of rain to 15 May.